VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
POST-GRADUATE DEPARTMENT

HOÀNG THÙY HƯƠNG TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF THE TASK-BASED
APPROACH TO SPEAKING SKILLS: A CASE OF
GRADE 11, NGUYEN HUE GIFTED HIGH SCHOOL,
HA DONG, HANOI
(NHẬN THỨC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN VỀ ĐƯỜNG HƯỚNG
DẠY HỌC THEO NHIỆM VỤ ĐỐI VỚI KỸ NĂNG NÓI:
NGHIÊN CỨU TRƯỜNG HỢP LỚP 11, TRƯỜNG PTTH
CHUYÊN NGUYỄN HUỆ, HÀ ĐÔNG, HÀ NỘI)
M.A Thesis
(Minor Thesis)
APPROACH TO SPEAKING SKILLS: A CASE OF
GRADE 11, NGUYEN HUE GIFTED HIGH SCHOOL,
HA DONG, HANOI
(NHẬN THỨC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN VỀ ĐƯỜNG HƯỚNG
DẠY HỌC THEO NHIỆM VỤ ĐỐI VỚI KỸ NĂNG NÓI:
NGHIÊN CỨU TRƯỜNG HỢP LỚP 11, TRƯỜNG PTTH
CHUYÊN NGUYỄN HUỆ, HÀ ĐÔNG, HÀ NỘI)

M.A Thesis
(Minor Thesis)

Field: TEFL Methodology
Course Code: 60.14.10
Supervisor: Lê Văn Canh, M.A HANOI - 2010


2
4
4
2.1.1. The development of task-based approach
4
2.1.2. The nature of task-based language teaching
5
2.1.3. Task definition
6
2.1.4. Task types
8
2.2. Task-based teaching framework
9
2.3. Task-based teaching vs. other types of teaching instruction models
11
2.4. Advantages and disadvantages of task-based language teaching
12
2.4.1. Advantages
12
2.4.2. Disadvantages
13
2.5. Implementing tasks in teaching the skills of speaking
14
2.6. The importance of understanding teacher perception of teaching
methodology
15
2.7. Definition of teacher perception
16

v

CHAPTER 4. DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS
28
4.1. General overview of the findings
28
4.1.1. Teacher perception of tasks
28
4.1.2. Teacher perception of TBLT to speaking skills
30
4.1.3. Teacher perception of advantages and disadvantages in TBLT
implementation to speaking
skills
31
4.1.4. The reality of teachers' class teaching
33
4.2. Discussions of the findings
36
4.2.1. Congruence and incongruence between teachers' perceptions of TBLT
and its theory
37
4.2.2. Consistence and inconsistence between their perceptions and their
classroom behaviours
38
4.2.3. Consistence and inconsistence between teacher perceptions of
advantages and disadvantages and their teaching
practice
38

vi
CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSIONS
40

(=): Neutral
(-): Non-conceptual, negative, not mentioned

viii
LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES
Table 1: Participants' profile
Table 2: Participants' perceptions of task
Table 3: Participants' perception of TBLT to speaking skills
Table 4: Participants' perceptions of TBLT advantages and disadvantages
Table 5: Participants' class teaching practice
Figure 1: Teacher-student perceptions and the quality of learning outcomes
1
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. The background of the study
In the long history of linguistics, changes and shifts in teaching methodology is
obvious as there is never satisfaction with on-going methods and procedures. It leads to
researchers and scholars' having been trying and seeking better ways of teaching and
learning languages. Each new methodology born out is the result of the feedback to
weaknesses of the previous prevailing one. All of these methodologies are possibly
categorized into the grammatical and conversational approaches which are always in the
opposite trends. They advocate different ways and formats: written vs. oral language,
learning grammar vs. learning speaking, formal vs. informal language use. With these two
scales, the second one - the conversational approach dominates in the twentieth century. In
the second half of the century, the need for communication between people of different
cultures and languages creates a flood of learning language more quickly and effectively.
People are in the need of communicating orally and engaging in real communication.
There is a movement of learning language seen everywhere within society all over the

applied in classrooms or not and how teachers who partially have direct effects on
language teaching quality understand and apply it in the classroom. For these reasons, the
author is inspired to conduct 'Teachers' perceptions of the task-based approach to speaking
skills: A case of Grade 11, Nguyen Hue gifted high school, Ha Dong, Hanoi'.
1.2. Aims of the study
The study is conducted to investigate teachers' perceptions of the task-based
approach to speaking skills. The author desires to find out what and how they think and
apply TBA in the classroom. Especially, the research tries to explore their views on the
advantages and disadvantages of using the task-based approach to teach speaking in their
context.
1.3. Research questions
The above aims can be realized through the following research questions:
1. What are teachers' understandings of the Task-Based Approach to speaking
skills?
2. What do they perceive of the advantages and disadvantages of using TBA
approach to speaking skills in their context?
1.4. Scope of the study
Though TBA is believed to be used for four skills, however, the researcher has chosen
to focus on speaking for the fact that TBA initially emphasizes meaning whereas speaking
is closely connected to communication. Moreover, she only researches teacher perceptions 3
of advantages and disadvantages of using TBA in the classrooms of non-English major
students but English major ones as they use two different course books.
The study of teacher's perceptions of the task-based approach to other skills would be
beyond the scope of the study. Also, due to the author's limited ability, time constraints and
narrow-scaled study, the subjects in the research only involves a small number of teachers
who are teaching non-English major students of Grade 11, Nguyen Hue gifted high school.
1.5. Organization of the study

after years of instruction. Moreover, the approach established to teach second language at
the time was PPP known as 'Presentation, Practice and Production'. Presentation often
focuses on an item of grammar and usually presented explicitly in a context. This stage is
believed to develop learners' understanding of the language point. Following Presentation
is controlled Practice. It aims to enable learners to use and grasp the new rule or pattern. At
the production stage, the learner is expected to reproduce what has been taught before
more spontaneously and flexibly. Nevertheless, Willis (1996, p.135) points out: 'The
ironing is that the goal of the final production - free production - is often not achieved.
How can production be free if students are required to produce forms that have been
specified in advance?' Students, at the production stage, often focus primarily on form,
making sentence with the new item or they focus on meaning and complete the task
without incorporating the new item. Last but not least, PPP approach is also criticized
when it is based on the assumption that students will learn what is taught in the same order
in which it was taught, but there is no evidence to prove it (Skehan, 1996, p.18). In fact, 5
research has shown that teaching does not determine the way that learners' language
develops. Instead, it is mainly determined by learner-internal factors.
From above reasons, it is essential to have an approach activating acquisition
process in learners and teaching that provides a context to activate these processes.
Consequently, task-based approach is born out as a dispensable result. It is said to
overcome weakness of PPP and that tasks (which is the central component of task-based
approach) 'foster processes of negotiation, modification, rephrasing, and experimentation
that are at the heart of second language learning.' (Richards and Rodgers, 2001, p.228)
2.1.2. The nature of task-based language teaching
TBLT, realized as a strong version of communicative approach, is an effective
teaching method of goal orientation in enhancing students’ motivation. In TBA,
methodologists 'have treated tasks as units of teaching in their own right and have designed
whole courses around them' (Ellis, 2003, p.27).

can freely use whatever language they want so as to fulfill the goals. Learners must be
primarily concerned with achieving the outcome, not with displaying language.
Viewed this way, teachers then obtain the role of a facilitator who encourages all
attempts to communicate in target language, but not an intruder to learners’ produced
language. Learners will experiment with the language on their own, and even take risk.
That helps to create an appropriate level of challenge, boosting the effectiveness of TBLT.
3) Tasks and skills practice
The four language skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing – are singled out
to be developed separately, in some approaches on language teaching; while in others, they
are talked in terms of integrated skills. In a task-based cycle, teachers naturally foster skills
combination. The skills form an integral part of the process to achieve the task goals; they
are practiced integratedly.
Being aware of learners’ needs, teachers can select or adapt tasks that help learners to
practice relevant skills. Tasks integrating the skills of reading and listening, note-taking
and summarizing are bound to be helpful for learners who may need English for academic
purposes. For those who not only need to pass a written examination, but also want to
socialize in the target language, text-based tasks with written outcomes and/or discussion
at various points in the task cycle could be used.
2.1.3. Task definition 7
The study and description of task has been approached from different perspectives
and for different purposes. Various definitions offered are different in scope and
formulation where almost anything related to educational activity can be called 'a task'.
Therefore, it is necessary to give clear definitions of what the authors mean when they use
the term 'task'.
Prabhu (1987), one of the first methodologist raising interest and support for task-
based language, considers a task 'an activity which required learners to arrive at an
outcome from given information through some process of thought, and which allowed

the same opinion with Nunan about tasks' focus on meaning. Skehan (1998) defines a task
as an activity in which:
- meaning is primary
- there is some communication problem to solve
- there is some sort of relationship to comparable real-world activities
- task completion has some priority
- the assessment of the task is in terms of outcome.
Or Bygate, Skehan, and Swain (2001) propose ' a task is an activity which requires learners
to use language, with emphasis on meaning, to attain an objective' (as cited in Ellis, 2004,
p.4).
From what mentioned above, we have gone through many viewpoints about task
definitions. Though they vary in some ways, all emphasize the fact that tasks involve
communicative language use in which users' attention is focused on meaning rather than
grammatical form.
In this study, my own view of tasks is a unit which is goal-oriented, meaning-
focused first and form-focused then, contextualized and implemented as the basis for
teaching and learning.
2.1.4. Task types
It is important to distinguish different task types as it helps teachers to investigate
which types is the most effective in promoting learning. In addition, syllabus designers can
also refer to the classification to ensure that a range of task types are incorporated into the
course. However, tasks are identified in numerous ways since people who have written on
task-based language teaching and learning stand on different viewpoints.
According to Nunan (1989, p.44), communicative tasks can be categorized into two
main types: pedagogic tasks, i.e. tasks practised in the classroom and real world tasks that
are used for the purpose of rehearsing future needs. Prabhu (1987) distinguishes three
general types of tasks based on the kind of cognitive activity involved: Information-gap,
reasoning-gap, opinion-gap activities.

Pre-task
Introduction to topic and tasks 10
Task cycle
Task
Planning
Report
Language focus
Analysis
Practice
Willis’s model for task-based instruction (Willis, 1996, p.52)
As access to a clear framework for a task-based lesson is obviously advantageous to
both teachers and learners, a thorough and detailed discussion on these phases is of crucial
point.
In the pre-task phase, the topic to be covered and the tasks to be accomplished in the
lesson are introduced. It is usually the shortest stage in the framework and could last
between two or twenty minutes, depending on the level of learners’ being familiar with the
topic and the task types. This phase may involve the use of texts or the recordings of native
speakers’ carrying out parallel forms of the tasks. Pre-task activities, as supported by
Skehan (1998), should be engaged into introduce new elements into the interlanguage
system; to mobilize and recycle language; to ease processing load and to push learners to
interpret task in more demanding ways.
The task cycle phase can be subdivided into three stages of task, planning and report,
all of which comprise a task cycle itself. In this key phase, students use the target language
the most for the task implementation; fluency and focus on meaning are mainly attended.
Learners are offered chances to use whatever language they already know to complete the
task, and then, with assistance from teachers, while planning their task report, to improve

video, a dramatic story, an amusing anecdote, etc. Activities in the study phase focus on
language and the way it is constructed, which could vary from the pronunciation of one
particular sound to an examination of a verb tense or to the techniques an author uses to
create excitement in a longer reading text. In the activate phase, exercises and activities are
designed to encourage students to use their full language knowledge in the selected
situation or task as communicatively as they can.
In addition, TBLT should be clearly differentiated from TSI (Task-supported
instruction) which was mentioned by Ellis (2003) when he tried to clarify between
unfocused and focused tasks. TSI means incorporating tasks as a part of the curriculum,
beside other types of activities. It is, thus, completely versus TBLT because in the pure
form of TBLT, task is the only unit of the curriculum, the basis for teaching, and even the 12
assessment. In a word, TSI has the maxim of “learning to use” while the maxim of TBI is
“using to learn” or “learning by doing”
2.4. Advantages and disadvantages of task-based language teaching
Few people would question the pedagogical value of employing tasks as a vehicle
for promoting communication and authentic language use in second language classrooms.
Task-based language teaching, however, has its own drawbacks. It is, therefore, necessary
to weigh the pros and cons of TBLT thoroughly hereafter.
2.4.1. Advantages
Task-Based Language Teaching is an application of second language teaching in-
formed by the most recent research findings on second language acquisition. As such, it
plays an important role in current language pedagogy (Solares, 2006).
TBLT is advantageous to the students because it is more student-centered, allows for
more meaningful communication, and often provides for practical extra-linguistic skill
building. Although teachers may present language in the pre-task, students are ultimately
free to use what grammar constructs and vocabulary they want. This allows them to use all
the language they know and are learning, rather than just the 'target language' of the lesson.

(1996, p.137-138) gives out the opinions of teachers and trainers who have just
experimented with TBLT:
 with mixed-level classes, a TBLT approach works far better than a PPP one
 learners bring their own experiences to lessons and often come up with
interesting and original ideas;
 by the end of the course they are often surprised at how much their learners
have achieved.
2.4.2. Disadvantages
According to Richards and Rogers (2001), Task-Based Language Teaching provides
a more effective basis for teaching than other language teaching approaches, however
many aspects of TBLT like proposed schemes for task types, task sequencing, and
evaluation of task performance, etc. have not been justified, this basic assumption still
remains in ideology rather than fact. Swan (2005) even claims the statement, firmly based
on the findings of current theory and research, that TBLT is an advanced teaching
approach can not be continuous. Supported neither by convincing theoretical argument nor
by experimental evidence, the closely related to TBLT hypotheses, to the effect that
second-language acquisition, being controlled by inflexible developmental sequences,
completely occurs as a result of noticing during communicative activity, are opposed by
common language-learning experience. 14
While Task-Based Instruction may fruitfully develops learners’ authority of what is
known, it is significantly less effective for the systematic teaching of new language.
Depending on tasks as a primary source of pedagogical input in teaching, TBLT is
criticized to be inappropriate in foundation classes for beginning learners. Centering on
tasks implementation, TBLT raises an implication of learners’ being able to interact in the
target language, while in fact they lack this proficiency. This drags on the risk that learners
will overuse their L1 or engage in off-task talks. Furthermore, learner-learner interaction
may result in pidginized use of the L2 and concomitant interlanguage fossilization. (Prabhu,

other does not have and they interact to achieve their purpose. In addition, participants may
have to clarify their meaning, ask for confirmation of their own understanding or negotiate
for agreement.
Teachers (as task designers) need to incorporate a purpose and an information gap
and allow for multiple forms of expression. However, quantity alone will not necessarily
produce competent speakers. Teachers need to combine structured output activities, which
allow for error correction and increased accuracy, with communicative output activities
that give students opportunities to practice language use more freely.
Besides, classroom speaking tasks that will develop communicative competence
needs the thorough support of authentic materials. Here teachers must consider three issues
of authenticity. First is the text authenticity of how natural the language sample is. Second
is the task authenticity showing what learners are supposed to do with that language for
learning or practice opportunities (Nunan, 1989). And third is the response authenticity –
that is, how natural the speech produced by learners may be (McNamara, 2000, p.27 – 29).
Authentic materials must be relevant to the learners’ lives.
Shortly, all these points, together, should be kept in teachers’ mind as the orientation
for tasks design and adaptation.
2.6. The importance of understanding teachers' perceptions of teaching methodology
As Stern (1983) has asserted “no language teacher – however strenuously he may
deny his interest in theory – can teach a language without a theory of language teaching”
(p.27), in order to understand teaching, it is of necessity to understand teachers’
interpretation of teaching methodology. Of all things affecting the result of teaching, the
factor of teachers themselves cannot be ignored. Understanding teachers’ interpretation of
teaching methodology, educators and researchers, who intend to propose necessary
changes, can help answer the question: “Why the interaction between teacher and class
happens that way?” (Canh, 2004, p.109) while interpreting the reality of major class
teaching. Teaching can empower learner-driven experiences and promote cognitive 16

have as a result of how you see or understand something'. In the field of psychology, 17
perception is one of the main issues which gets much attention as it plays important roles.
According to Feldman (1990) a psychologist, perception is 'the process by which we sort
out, interpret, analyze, and integrate stimuli to which our senses are exposed.'(p.149). In
the paper, teachers' perception means the process of determining the meaning of what are
sensed. Perception occurs when teachers interpret a given meaning to stimuli in their
classroom environment or in the students' classroom behaviour.
2.8. Relation between teacher perception and practice
Teachers' perception is closely related to their practice. It is shown in figure below:

Figure 1. Teacher-student perceptions and the quality of learning outcomes
(Trigwell, Prosser & Waterhouse, 1999, p.57)
According to these researchers, teachers who perceive learning as the accumulation
of information tend to view learning as the transfer of information. Such teachers are more
likely to use a teacher centre approach where the teacher plays the central role and imparts
information to students. In contrast, teachers who view learning as conceptual change view
teaching as facilitating conceptual change. In other words, those regard learning as
changing a learner's original ideas favour a student centred teaching approach where
independence in learning is encouraged through discussion, debate and questioning among
students (Prosser & Trigwell, 1999, p.57-70). Teachers are facilitators and advisers in
learners' studies.
The figure also points out the close relation between teachers' perception of
learning and teaching and their approaches. They are important elements in deciding the
quality of students' learning outcomes. Therefore, it is said that teachers with different
approaches produce different students.
2.9. Previous studies on teacher perceptions of TBLT


regardless of their teaching levels. Yet, many of them hesitated to adopt TBLT as an
instructional method in classroom practice as they feared of being confronted with
problems of a lack of knowledge and confidence. The result indicated that teachers'
conceptual understandings of TBLT did not necessarily lead to the actual use of task in the
classroom. The authors found out reasons that teachers used and did not use TBLT in the
classroom.